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Batman
Ten years ago, Bruce Wayne returned from his travels a well-educated young man and took the reigns of his late father's manufacturing conglomerate, Wayne Enterprises. For ten years now, rumors of a vengeance-seeking Bat-man have spread throughout the seedy underworld of New York City. While those rumors have most often been dismissed as silly superstitions, the urban legend known as Batman is ready to step out of the shadows and take fear to a new level. Background As the only child born to Thomas and Martha Wayne, Bruce Wayne became the sole heir to his family's immense fortune and manufacturing empire, which dates back several generations. In his early childhood Bruce lived a life of privilege, attending the most exclusive private school in New York, wearing perfectly tailored clothes, and enjoying frequent entertainment and vacations. Despite all of this luxury, his parents also taught him compassion for others with their frequent charitable donations and community service projects. In many ways, Bruce had the perfect childhood for the first eight years of his life. That all changed when his parents were gunned down outside of a movie theater when Bruce was 8 years old. They had left the theater halfway through a screening of The Mark of Zorro because the film had scared Bruce. Outside they were approached by a petty thief named Joe Chill, who attempted to rob Thomas and Martha. Thomas made the unfortunate mistake of reaching for his wallet too quickly, causing the jittery Chill to shoot both him and his wife. Bruce was left alive, and he stayed at his parents' side as they died. He was left in the care of the family's long-time butler, Alfred Pennyworth. Bruce tried for several years to deal with the anger and depression he felt. At the age of 13, he began training to fight with Ted Grant. Despite some small progress in dealing with his issues, Bruce persuaded Alfred to let him study abroad when he was 14 years old. He soon traveled to Europe and attended some of the most respected schools in the world, including Cambridge and Oxford. He also began training in various martial arts. By the time he was 22, he had traveled all across the globe and held two doctorates and three master's degrees, could speak twelve languages fluently and many others passably, and had learned aspects of over one hundred different martial arts techniques. He had even studied ventriloquism and the healing techniques of Nepalese monks. He finally made his return to American soil just before his twenty-third birthday. Upon his return to New York City, the newspapers and tabloids began treating him like a celebrity. Somewhere along the way he had learned to act, and he played the role of socialite very well. He took back the reigns of Wayne Enterprises, firing most members of the board of directors who had been running the company. He then appointed a man he had met in France named Lucius Fox as the corporation's new CEO. He had plans of his own that did not directly involve his family's company. Still plagued by nightmares of his parents' deaths, Bruce began venturing into the seedier parts of the city at night and acting as a vigilante. After being stabbed in the leg by a twelve-year-old prostitute whose pimp he had just knocked out, and subsequently nearly being caught by the NYPD, Bruce realized he needed a disguise -- one that criminals would fear. Turning to his childhood fears, he chose the symbol of a bat. He began using WayneTech prototypes and other assets to craft equipment to be used during his extracurricular activities, the first of which was a state-of-the-art suit, complete with a cape and a cowl with stylized bat ears. The vigilante known as 'the Batman' quickly became an urban legend whispered among the city's criminals. Several years into his career as Batman, Bruce witnessed another double murder. While attending a performance of Haley's Circus, Bruce was impressed by a family trio of acrobats known as the Flying Graysons. Following their routine, the parents in the act were both shot and killed by a crook who was trying to send a message to the owner of the circus. Bruce saw the anguish in the eyes of their young son, Dick Grayson -- an emotion he knew very well. He ultimately adopted Dick and began training him, all while tracking down the killer of Dick's parents. Bruce created a costume for Dick and christened him Robin as a play on Robin Hood. Robin made his debut alongside Batman while taking down Tony 'Fats' Zucco, the killer of his parents. During this mission, Bruce taught Dick respect for the sanctity of life when he refused to take the life of Zucco, who was later gunned down by an enemy gang leader. Batman and Robin spent several years together as a vigilante duo. When Dick began attending college, he began patrolling with Bruce less and less. Instead, Dick took to fighting crime on his own. When confronted by Bruce over this, as well as some of the tactics that Dick had been using, the pair had a slight falling out. This culminated in Bruce 'firing' Dick as his partner. Dick would go on to adopt a new costume and codename, Nightwing. After the departure of Dick, Bruce encountered a female vigilante calling herself Batgirl, and the two eventually formed a working relationship despite initial tensions between them. Bruce often works with Batgirl, but not to the extent that he did with Robin. He also provides her with equipment very similar to that which he uses himself as Batman. He very recently adopted a second orphan, this time a young street urchin named Jason Todd who he caught trying to steal the tires from the modified WayneTech prototype vehicle that Alfred jokingly calls the Batmobile. Todd, inspired by Batman, found a replica Robin costume and began recklessly engaging in vigilante acts of his own. Despite Jason's impulsive nature, Bruce took him in to get him off the streets and keep him safe from himself. He has been training Todd, and the young man has recently debuted as the second Robin. MUX History March 2011 * After a decade of operating in the shadows and being known only as an urban legend, Batman decides to emerge from the shadows and show the crime world that he is real and something to be feared. *Bruce visits his old trainer Ted Grant at his gym for the first time in years to investigate the possibility that Grant is the masked vigilante known as Wildcat. While there he meets, and is punched out by, Cassandra Cain. *Batman meets up with Wonder Woman and Wildcat II as all three converge on a rape in progress. Batman stops Wonder Woman from seriously injuring the rapist. He also recognizes the mannerisms of Wildcat II to be Cassandra Cain, who he had first met the day before. He uses this knowledge to confirm his suspicions about Ted Grant. *Batman shadows and then confronts Wildcat and Wildcat II. He begins to notice things about Cassandra that point to a connection with assassin David Cain. Wildcat invites Batman to a meeting with other vigilantes. *Batman plans to bust an illegal energy weapons deal and tips off a reporter, intending the event to be his public debut of sorts. Superboy and Bart Allen show up and make sure things don't go exactly as the Dark Knight intended. *Bruce Wayne attends an event for prospective new members at the Hellfire Club, hosted by Emma Frost. Bruce is ultimately offered a chance at membership, which he declines. He opens a file on the suspicious nature of the Hellfire Club with the intent to keep a close eye on its dealings. April 2011 *Wildcat's meeting of vigilantes becomes the founding meeting of the modern Justice Society of America. Batman learns the identities of his fellow founding members as they unmask, while he is the only one who declines to do so. Later that night, Batman shows up at Ted Grant's apartment and reveals his true identity to Ted alone. He also shares with Ted what he knows about Cassandra Cain's past. *When Bart Allen bungles an investigation that Batman had been working on, Batman dubs him Impulse, much to the amusement of Wildcat. Logs *2011-03-25 - Debut Crashers - Batman steps out of the shadows to bust up an illegal gun trade, but Superboy and Bart Allen show up and make things a little more difficult for the Dark Knight. *2011-04-08 - The Rebirth of the Justice Society - Wildcat assembles a group of vigilantes consisting of Wildcat II, Troia, Liberty Belle, and Batman to propose the reformation of the Justice Society of America. *2011-04-09 - The Unmasking of Batman and Cassandra Cain - Ted Grant is dealt two shocks, with the actual unmasking of Batman and an unmasking of Cassandra Cain's past. *2011-19-04 - Bart Gets a Warning Label (er, Codename) - When Bart Allen interrupts an investigation Batman is conducting, the Dark Knight dubs him "Impulse," much to Wildcat's amusement. Category:Characters Category:Features Category:Hero Category:Taken